Patrick Jephson

Former Chief Of Staff To Princess Diana

International Reputation Expert, New York Times Bestselling Author & Consultant, Netflix's "The Crown"

Patrick is a consultant, journalist, broadcaster and New York Times and London Sunday Times bestselling author, based in Washington DC.  His byline has appeared in every major UK newspaper and international titles as varied as TIME magazine, People, The Spectator, Paris Match, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung and the National Catholic Reporter.  He is a published authority on corporate and personal branding, addressing conferences worldwide as well as events at the US State Department, the American University and the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. 

He also writes, presents and advises on factual and drama programs, appearing on every major US network as well as British and international platforms.  His two decades of news and current affairs assignments have included on-screen conversations with figures such as David Frost, David Dimbleby, Barbara Walters and Larry King. 

He is founding partner in JephsonBeaman, a boutique communications consultancy specializing in international high-profile, sensitive and UHNW services.  With more than twenty-five years’ experience in the government, luxury and family office sectors, Patrick’s portfolio has included Ferrari, Harrods, Beretta and Hawker Beechcraft as well as national agencies and NGOs.  He has also worked on reputation and legacy briefs with European, Middle Eastern and Asian families, including royalty. 

Patrick owes much of his practical communications experience to Princess Diana, who chose him to be her equerry and only private secretary/chief of staff.  He served the Princess for eight years (1988-96), responsible for every aspect of her public life, worldwide humanitarian initiatives, and private organization.  Under relentless media scrutiny, his tenure covered the period of Princess Diana’s greatest popularity as well as the constitutional controversy of her separation from Prince Charles.  In recognition of his service, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II appointed him a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order.

Patrick was born and raised in Ireland and holds a Master’s Degree in Political Science from Cambridge University.  As an officer in the British Royal Navy he served all over the world before being selected for royal duty.  In March 2015 he became a naturalized citizen of the United States.

Mary Jo Jacobi

Former Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan, Former Assistant US Commerce Secretary for President George H.W. Bush, British Civil Service Commissioner

Former Senior Executive, HSBC, Lehman Brothers, Royal Dutch Shell And BP America

Mary Jo Jacobi Jephson is a renowned expert in reputation, brand and crisis management drawn from her extensive experience at senior levels of the corporate, public and voluntary sectors on both sides of the Atlantic. Most recently, Mary Jo was Executive Vice President of BP America during its response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Previously she led reputation management for Royal Dutch Shell, Lehman Brothers, HSBC Holdings and Drexel Burnham Lambert. She also devised and executed the award-winning global brand strategies for Lehman and HSBC, including the first-ever use of airport jetties for brand projection and thought leadership. She is a non-executive director of the Weir Group PLC, Mulvaney Capital Management and Panafsat and a member of the advisory board of Fink Africa. She is also a Visiting Fellow of Oxford University'ss Centre for Corporate Reputation. Mary Jo was the first woman to chair the board of the Ladies Professional Golf Association and subsequently served on the board of the Ladies European (Golf) Tour. She is a frequent broadcast commentator, lecturer and public speaker around the world.

Colleen Harris

Former Press Secretary To Princes Charles, William And Harry

Former Adviser, World Health Organization, Elton John Aids Foundation

With more than 25 years’ experience ranging from the British Royal Household, via Downing Street, to international NGOs, Colleen Harris has a strong track record of working in high-profile media and communications roles. This professional experience is complemented by a broad portfolio of trusteeships and non-executive director roles in the arts, education and health. Colleen held a senior communications position in the Prime Minister’s Office before being appointed Press Secretary to HRH the Prince of Wales, and was the first Black member of the Royal Household. She handled the media for The Prince of Wales during some of the most turbulent years, and also media-managed the emergence of Princes William and Harry into the public eye. Her career has included senior posts in the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office, and the Cabinet Office as well as in non-departmental Public Bodies. She has worked in Britain and abroad as a consultant with private companies, non-profit organisations and UN agencies, including the World Health Organisation. Colleen’s work in a wide variety of contexts has taught her about managing individual reputations, as well as how to use brand-development techniques to help clients identify and take full advantage of their strengths and skills – equipping them to define their own public profiles, and achieve personal and business success. Colleen’s board-level and executive experience has given her a good appreciation of how to inspire and lead teams, as well as insight into the qualities that CEOs and boards look for in high-level executives.

Harlan Loeb

Edelman

Global Chair, Crisis & Risk Practice

With more than 25 years of experience in reputation risk and crisis advisory services, Harlan Loeb is the Global Chairman of Edelman’s Crisis & Reputation Advisory Group and a global expert on the most vexing high profile organizational challenges. His client work includes some of the largest MNCs in the world including Samsung, GE, Mitsubishi, BASF, Chevron, and Unilever. Mr. Loeb works across all industry sectors counseling both boards and executive leadership teams using proprietary tools to facilitate dynamic decision making and stronger performance cultures. He also teaches at Northwestern Law School and with the Kellogg School of Management Risk Lab program.

Matt McKenna

Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Greenbrier

Former Senior Advisor to President Clinton

For over 7 years, Matt McKenna served as spokesperson and senior adviser to President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Family, and the Clinton Foundation. He also ran Communications for Uber North America and has advised diverse corporate and philanthropic organizations such as The Carlyle Group, lululemon athletica, and WilliamsWorks on a range of issues including, executive communications, crisis management, acquisitions, lawsuits, and the hiring and firing of CEOs. Prior to joining the Clintons, Matt worked on several statewide political campaigns, most recently serving as communications director for U.S. Senator Jon Tester -- both in his successful U.S. Senate campaign in and his first term in the U.S. Senate. Matt has also worked in various capacities for Gov. Brian Schweitzer of Montana, Sen. Max Cleland of Georgia, Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana and Gov. Tony Knowles of Alaska. Two years ago, Matt co-founded Greenbrier to help individuals and corporations avoid, manage and recover from crisis. Greenbrier provides strategic advice and tactical execution to clients facing complex image, marketing, branding, media, legal and political challenges. A native of Bozeman, Montana, Matt is an avid mountain and road cyclist. He lives between Montana and San Francisco with his dog, Pablo.

Sandra Fathi

Gregory FCA

Chief Strategy Officer

Sandra Fathi is Chief Strategy Officer for Gregory FCA, a B2B technology and financial services public relations and marketing firm. She has spent the last 25 years helping technology, healthcare and professional services companies achieve their goals. Sandra founded Affect in 2002, a public relations, marketing and social media agency, for nearly two decades prior to being acquired by Gregory FCA in the Spring of 2021. 

Sandra started her career as a reporter for a division of Ziff Davis and IDG Tech Network. She went on to work at a number of leading technology firms and one of the top global PR agencies. Her clients have included Apple, EDS, Ericsson, Nokia and Microsoft, as well as innovative start-ups.

Sandra is also active in the communications industry and professional community. She has served on the board of the PR Council, as Chair of PRSA’s Tri-State District, President of PRSA-NY and President of the PRSA Technology Section. She is a sought-after speaker for conferences and events and her expert commentary has appeared in business and industry outlets such as CNN, Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc., Huffington Post and U.S. News & World Report.  Adding to her accolades, Sandra has been recognized as one of PRNews’ Top Women in PR, a PRNews PR Professional of the Year finalist, and a Bulldog PR Agency Professional of the Year.

In addition to her professional pursuits, Sandra is a wife and mother of two children and one demanding dog. She is passionate about philanthropic work and serves on the board of directors of HavServe, a nonprofit organization focused on community-led development in Haiti.

nonprofit organization focused on community-led development in Haiti.

Errol Cockfield

MSNBC

SVP, Global Communications

Raphaël Labbé

Wiztopic

CEO

With a background of 15+ years in the digital and media industry, Raphaël Labbé is the CEO and co-founder of Wiztopic Inc., the first blockchain-based platform to certify corporate information. In a world where corporate fake news poses a growing threat to organizations and major industry players, Wiztopic focuses on delivering solutions that help its clients fight back. Wiztopic's high standards of quality and security, combined with an ongoing attention to providing a great customer experience, has earned the trust of such companies as L'Oréal, Amundi, Renault and Schneider Electric.